Nowadays, portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, are being developed to provide a wide variety of functions. There is a considerable consumer demand for portable electronic devices with built-in or plug-in cameras. A plug-in camera is separate from the portable electronic device when it is not in use, and plugged into the portable electronic device for use. It is inconvenient to carry the plug-in camera around as a separate unit, and to plug and unplug the plug-in camera. In addition, if the plug-in camera is relatively small, it is easily misplaced or lost once it is detached from the portable electronic device. Compare this with the built-in camera, which is integrated into the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device with the built-in camera has excellent portability and practicality. At present, most portable electronic devices with cameras in the marketplace are the built-in camera type.
In most present-day portable electronic devices with built-in camera, the lens of the camera is exposed at an outer surface of a cover body of the portable electronic device. Generally, only a transparent glass sheet is provided on the lens to protect it. An example is the folding mobile phone model No. P504IS marketed by Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. In general, the mobile phone is held in the user's hand when operated, and put inside a cover or case when not in use. The transparent glass sheet is susceptible to becoming soiled and scratched over time, which reduces the quality of photographs taken.
To overcome the foregoing problem, a folding mobile phone with a camera is provided in China published patent application number 02122769. In this mobile phone, a lens of the camera is installed in a cavity of a rotary shaft. The rotary shaft joins a cover body and a main body of the main mobile phone together. The user can turn the rotary shaft to change the location of the lens relative to the main body. When the user wants to take a photo, he/she first opens the cover body, and then turns the rotary shaft to make the lens face away from the outer surface of the main body. Once the user has taken the photo, he/she first turns the rotary shaft to make the lens face toward the inner surface of the main body, and then closes the cover body. The lens is thus protected from environmental harm such as dust and scratching. However, the mobile phone is inconvenient to operate, because the rotary shaft must be rotated by hand. In addition, the user may forget to turn the rotary shaft to make the lens face toward the inner surface of the main body before closing the cover body.
Therefore, an improved portable electronic device with a camera which overcomes the above-described disadvantages is desired.